Furnace-grate



I. T. SIMPSON. FURNACE GRATE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.I9,' 1918.

Patented. Sept. 20, 1921.

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J. T. SIMPSON.

FURNACE GRATE.

APPLICA'rloN FILED AuG.19. |918.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

u bq A Patented sept. 20,1921.,

J. T. SIMPSON.

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J. T. SIMPSON.

FURNACE GRATE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. I9. 1918,

1,391,014. i mendsept. 20,1921.,

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

.divisional application UNI JOHN rr. siilirsoiv, or oiiioaeo, ILLrivors,

OF CHICAGO, 'TLLINOI A CORPORATION 0F ILLINOIS.

ASSIGNOR TO ECONOIIIYSALES COMPANY,

rURNAoE-Grtarii. A

isernia.

specification of Letters raient. fPatented Sept. 20, 1921. i

original application sied september 2e, isis, seriai No. 121,709.Divide@ and this application inea Y August 1e, 191e. serial ivo.259,467.

T 0 all whom t may concern:

Be it known that l, JOHN T. SiMrsoN, a citizen of the United yStates ofAmerica, and resident of Chicago, lllinois, have invented a Acertain newand useful Improvement in F urnace-Grates, ofivhich the following is aspecification. y y

This is a `division of my application No'. 121,709, yfiled September 28,1916, (now Fat ent No.1,313,127). ln said patent l have claimedy theconstruction and arrangement of the vaporizer. Tn this ydivisionalapplication I have claimed the construction and arrangement of thefurnace grate. Therefore, in said prior applicationno claim is made forthe particular form of grate ,con-v struction shovvn and described,.andin this efficient and effective for any desired pur-` pose.'Another-"object is to provide a grate adapted for making Water gas.

Tt is also yan ob] ect to provide certain details and features ofconstructionand combinations tending. to increase the general efficiencyand desirability of a furnace grateof this particular construction.

To the forefroino and other useful ends l n C ab u f n s 7 vmy inventionconsists in rnatters'hereinafter set forth and claimed.

Tn the accompanying drawings- Figure 1 is aplan of a furnace grateembodying the principles of my invention.k

Fig. 2is a side elevation of the structure shown in Fig.y 1.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section on line 3-3 inFig.1. f i Y. l

Fig. l is a transverse section on line `1 -4f in Fig. 1. 1 f

no claim is made for.

F ig. 5 is adetail vievv illustrating the construction of theWater-receptacle Which eX- Itends around the entire grate structure.

Fig. 6 is aplan of the center framewhich supports the oscillatory centersection of the grate'. F ig..7 is an enlarged detail plan vievvk of onecorner portion ofthe grate structure.

Fig.' 8 is a sectional View illustrating'a form of apparatus forautomatically supplying Water to the Watenreceptacle.

As thus illustrated, my' inventionL comprises 'the horizontal andlongitudinally eX- tending frame-bars or stationaryl gratemembers A', B,C vand Dl which rest ony the f Walls E and F at their opposite ends,said Walls beingV of Vany suitablel character. Transverse end-bars G andH connect the bars A, B, C andD together, these'end-bars being providedWith slotsv and h, respectively, and bolts Tand J` extending throughthese slots and through the longitudinal slots a, Z), c and Z in thelongitudinal bars,

' in theimanner shovvnmore clearlyin Fig. 7

whereby all of these bars can expand rand contract easilyWithout'distorting thevstrucl' ture. The stationary frame K, shown moreclearly in F ig. 6, 'is bolted at le to the under sides of thelongitudinal bars B and C, and is provided with a vertical centerpost orpivot L which forms the axis of the ball-l bearing Z, the latter beingof any suitable.

character. The center lgrate-section M is shapedylike an obtuse cone,being composed of a middle portion mhaving outerfremov-l able sections Nsecuredv by bolts 'rt thereto.'

The portion m is supported by the ball-bearing Z, so that no Weight issupported by the upper end of the post or pivot L, the latter servingmerely toV center the grate section M in the desiredmanner. Thehand-lever O is connected by a link o with an arm 1 which depends fromone side of the grate section M, said hand-lever being suitably pivotedto operate about the horizontal aXis 2 at the front of the furnace.Withthis shaker ar-l rangement, and by vibrating the hand-lever 0, thecenter grate section M is alternately f oscillated in oppositedirections about a ver-l tical aXis, thereby to shake the fuel thereon.Thefstationary bars B and C are provided With openings or slots 3,50that these bars io or stationary 4members serve as stationaryA ortrunnions r and s, which maybe of anyV grate sections, being disposed atopposite sides of the central oscillatory section N, and in the Vplaneof the lower edges of the latter. The stationary grate sections P and Qare supported transversely of the grate and connected to the bars B andC at p and g, respectively, and are provided with curved and toothedinner edges which are disposed at the base of the conical oscillatorycenter section M, whereby the latter is entirely surrounded bystationary grate sections, and whereby there are no rocking gratesections or any movablegrate sections at the base of the oscillatorycenter section. It will be seen, however, that the transverse rockingYgrate bars R and S have their end-bearings suitable shape, located toturn and rock in recesses l on the longitudinal bars B and C. These barshave their teeth arranged to extend between the teeth 5 on thecross-bars G and H, and also betweenthe teeth 6 of the stationary gratesections P and Q, whereby transverse rocking grate sections are providedin front and rear of the stationary gratev sections which are disposedimmediately in front and in rear of the oscillatory center gratesection. It 4will also be seen that the shorter transverse rocking',grate bars T and U havey theirA end-bearingsl or trunnions tand uarrangedto turn or rock inthe recesses 7 and 8 on the outside sills orlongitudinal Vbars A and D, and in thev recesses 9 and 10 formed in thebars B and C, ina manner that will be readily under-V stood. n Thus, thevspace between the longitudinal members Y A and -B is occupied by thetransversely arranged rocking grate bars T,while'the similar spacebetween the longitudinal members C and D is occupied by t e rockinggrate bars U, whereby rocking grate sections' are provided at oppositesides of the stationary grate sections.

The pivoted hand-lever V isconnected by a link fu with thedependingarmsll on the grate bars U, and also with the depending arm 12on one end of the rocking grate bar S, whereby the operation of thishand-lever causes the grate bars U and Sto rock about horizontal axesinthe bearings provided for this purpose, as previously described.Another pivoted hand-lever W is connected by a link w with thedepending` arms 13 on the rocking grate bars T, and with a similar armon one end of the rocking grate bar R, whereby the operation of thislever serves to rock lall of said grate bars.

Thus, the oscillatory center section M is controlled by the hand-leverO, in the manner explained, while the rocking gratebars U and Sarecontrolled by the hand-lever V,

and the grate bars T and R are controlled by the hand-lever WV, in avmanner that will be readily understood. The stationary grate barsV orgrate sections' are disposed at the base of the oscillatory centersection, and completely surround the latter, (the sections P and Q maybe united or made integral, as shown, if desired), and the rocking gratebars or grate sections are disposed outside of said stationary gratebars or grate sections, in the horizontal plane thereof, so that aportion of the burning fuel is supported on stationary grate sectionsoccupying an area between the oscillatory center section and the outerrocking sections. Furthermore, the center section M does not rotate, butis merely oscillatory about a vertical axis. j

A rectangular water-receptacle or Vvaporizer X extends around the entiregrate structure, in the manner shown in Figs. 3 and 11,

this water-receptacle consisting of four straight sections connectedtogether at their ends, and at the corners of the grate structure,l bybolts and end portions of the water-receptacle sections being slotted.to permit them to slide on said bolts, thereby providing for expansion.and contraction. The outer rectangular frame of the grate is formed bythe longitudinal members A and D and the cross-bars G and H, and eachmember and each cross-bar has a section of said water-receptacleallotted thereto. 1t will also be seen thatlthe said water-receptaclesections are connected at their ends by suitable tubes Y, whereby thewater may circulate from one section tothe other. A water-tank Z isconnected by a pipeV .e withV the said water-receptacle X, as shown moreclearly in Fig. 8, and is provided with an inlet-valve 14 which isautomatically controlled by a floatl within the tank, so that the latteris kept full of water. The fiat box-like members which thus form thevaporizer have their outer flat walls provided withvents 16 for thesteam, these outlets'being disposed along the upper edge lof eachmember. The frame of the grate structure overhangs the tops of thesebox-like members, and extends downwardly inside thereof, close to theinner walls of the vaporizer, as shown in the drawings. As fast as thewater evaporates, the water-receptacle has a fresh supply of water fromthe tank Z, in a manner that will be readily understood. In this way,the rim or outer frame-portion of the grate structure is provided vwitha steam or vaporgenerating receptacle. The exact manner Y in which thevaporizer is mountedon the rimror outer frame of the porizer dees notsupport the-grate, and the steam generated will escape through the vents16 into the ash-pit'below the grate, and will then be drawn. up throughthe grate by the draft of the furnace. The walls 17 of the furnace formthe combustion-chamber 18 above the grate andthe ash-pit 19 below inwhich the vaporizer is inclosed. It will be understood, of course, thatthe tube-connections Y are of such character that they will yieldslightly, soI that the expansion and contraction of the sections X willbe taken care of in the desired manner. vaporizer thus shown anddescribed is adapted for removal upwardly with the grate structure, fromthe supporting means ,F and E, being associated therewith, but could bemade detachable without disturbing the grate, as the vaporizer does notsupport the grate in any kway or to any extent. rlhe steam or watervapordrawn up through the grate will pass'tlirough theburningfuel and beconverted into water gas in the wellknown manner. For this purpose, cokeis ordinarily employed as the fuel and in this way the grate can be usedin a furnace for any ordinary purpose, andat the same time water gaswill be produced. v As the bars E and F support the removable gratestructure, it is obvious that the vaporizer does not sustain any part ofthe weight of the grate structure, and that the vaporizer can be omittedfrom the structure without depriving the grate of its support and,obviously, the vaporizer comprising the sections X can be mounted on theremovable grate structure or can be supported on the stationary end barsE and F of the grate strueture in such a way that the vaporizer itselfis readily removable from the furnace. As explained, though, thisfeature of the invention is not limited to any particular means,ordinary or otherwise, for

supporting the vaporizer, either on the grate or otherwise, theinvention contemplating broadly, as claimed in said prior application, astructure of this kind in which the important consideration is that thevaporizer is distinct from and independent of the grate structure, inthe sense that the grate proper, in its entirety, is supported by meansindependent of and structurally distinct from the vaporizer, so that thevaporizer does not support any portion of the weight of the grate andmay, therefore, as shown and described, be entirely constructedand-arranged merely with respect to its function as a vaporizer, and forthat purpose alone.

Any form of vaporizer, of course, can be employed, but the vaporizershown and described is especially adapted for this purpose, and thegrate shown and described is especially designed and adapted for use inconjunction with a vaporizer,y and hence the Also, theV vaporizer isshownv (but not claimed,vv being claimedy in said prior application), toillustrate the adaptability of the grate for this purpose. e

lWith the construction shown and described, it will be seen that theupper surfaces of the outer longitudinal side members A and 1) form partof the top surface ofthe grate, being ush with the longitudinal middlestructure of the grate, so that the entire grate structure ispractically fiat on its upper surface around the cone-shaped oscillatorymiddle section M, and the entire grate has a rigid rim or outer edge atall sides thereof. ln this way, thegrate structure is complete initself, all of the movable grate-bars or sections being supported bymeans forming part of the grate structure, so that the entire gratestructure could be lifted upwardly as a unit.y lWithy the rockinggrate-bars arranged transversely of the grate, the shaking movement iseasily and conveniently imparted thereto by means disposed at the frontof the furnace, and through connections having movement longitudinallyof the grate. Also, by oscillating-the central or cone-shaped middlesection M of the grate, a shaking motion is communicatedthereto, toshake the ashes through the openings thereof, and to shake the fuelaround and throw it outwardly upon the surrounding surface of the grate,when desired, and in this way the grate is prevented from clogging, andthe proper combustion of the fuel is maintained in the desired manner. y

1ithat 1 claim as my invention is 1. 1n a furnace grate construction,the combination of parallel and longitudinally disposed outer membersforming the side edges of the grate, leach member being provided withnotches along its inner edge, a longitudinally disposed centralstructure having stationary grate sections and formed along its outeredges ywith notches opposite those of said outer members, transverserocking grate-bars supported in said notches, transverse stationarygrate bars forming? the front and rear edges of the grate andconnectingy together the outer longitudinal members and said middlestructure, so that the top of the 'grate has a rigid rim at all sidesthereof, movablegrate sections incorporated in said middle structure,said longitudinal members and middle structure having projecting vfrontand rear end portions, supporting means upon which said end portionsrest in` a horizontally disposed plane.

2. A structure as specified in claim 1, said grate havingtransverse andlongitudinal slots at the corners thereof, with bolts eX- l tendingthrough said slots, substantially as shown and described. 4

3. A structure as specified in claim 1, said iso movable grate sectionsof the middle structure comprising an oscillatory cone-shaped sectionforming the center of the grate, and transverse rocking grate-bars infront and rear of said cone-shaped section.

t. A structure as specified in claim l, said outer longitudinal membersforming part of the top surface of the grate and being flush with themiddle structure.

5. In a furnace grate, the combination of parallel rows or rocking bars,stationary means forming part of the grate surface and having fourportions extending in opposite directions therefrom, provided withbea-rings for said rocking bars, a single rocking bar between two ofsaid portions, a single rocking bar between the other two portions,stationary bars forming bearings for the outer ends of said rows ofrocking bars, and stationary bars extending transversely of said rows,said stationary bars'being all connected to 'orin a rectangular outerframe for: the grate. i

6. A structure as specified in claim 5, said single rocking bars beingaxially alined with the bars at the ends of said rows.

7. In furnace grate construction, an oscillatory center section, ashaker having means for oscillating said section about a vertical axis,stationary grate sections arranged at the base of the center section andproviding a stationary fuel-support extending around the oscillatorycenter section, rocking grate sections associated with the stationarygrate sections, said rocking' grate sections comprising a row oftransverse grate-bars at each side. of the stationary grate sections,and including also a transverse rocking grate-bar disposed in front andin rear of said stationary grate-sections and in alinement with the endmembers of said rows, in combination with means forming a rectangularframe for the outer edges of the grate and having bearings for certainof said rocking sections, together with means projecting from the gratefor the support thereof in a furnace.

JOHN T. SIMPSON.

